Kunoichi of Blades
by TheConstellation
Summary: Archer has given up on killing Shirou, but that choice has doomed the Counter-Guardian to a fate even worse than non-existence. A last minute offer from the Sorcerer of Jewels gives Archer a way out...provided he can fulfill the requirements. Now as the container of the Kyuubi, Archer must find a way to become a hero and escape destruction.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so after reading some other F/S N and Naruto crossovers, I decided to write my own. I know a fairly good amount about the Nasu-verse, but I'll admit my knowledge of the Naruto world is lacking, as such, please try not to be surprised when I make a mistake. If you have corrections, please make them, and if anyone would like to help come up with plot bunnies beyond the standard canon, I would be eternally grateful.

Now here we go.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Emotions. Memories. Personalities.

Hopes. Dreams. Ideals.

All of them swirled within the existence that had been known as Archer. Visions of roads not taken passed Archer by, the knowledge contained within them grouping together to form the core of the spirit that was the Counter-Guardian. They correlated, aligned and then solidified, becoming a singular being with innumerable lives.

"You're finally awake."

Instantly the eyes of the being that was Archer snapped open, transforming the view from the fathomless black beneath eyelids to an endless plain of white with a matching sky above. Archer turned to look upon the one who had spoken, spotting the elderly man that was instantly recognized.

"Zelretch."

The single word was loaded with distrust as Archer's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Beyond the emotion in the voice there was a curious resonate quality to it, as if several people were speaking at once. Some of the tones were deeper and rougher than normal, others were higher and softer that usual. All the tones overlapping were similar enough to Archer's usual voice that one could recognize the spirit.

"Easy, Archer," Zelretch responded with a sly grin, "Stir yourself up to much and you might fall apart completely on me, it's hard enough holding you together as is."

"What do you mean?" Archer replied instantly, the distrust in the spirit's voice giving way to caution. If the Wizard Marshal was the one supporting it's form than disrupting him was the last thing to do at the moment.

"Take a look at yourself, having all of your personalities and lives merged together was finally too much for your soul and now you're coming apart at the seams."

There was hesitation in Archer's movements, but eventually the Counter-Guardian turned its gaze upon itself, letting out a sharp intake of breath at what it saw.

Gone was the tall, muscular body it had had in the Fifth Holy Grail war, or maybe it wasn't. The surprise was fading to be replaced by curiosity as Archer raised a hand to look at its form. The heavy red waist coat and jacket and the black chest plate were still there, at least in shape and color, but that was it for anything distinctive.

All of Archer's body was hazy and indistinct, constantly wavering and shifting as if it were being looked at through heavy fog and a running stream. Its skin shifted in color before their eyes, drifting from the heavy tan of the Fifth War to the a pale, milky white that conjured images of Ilya to Archer's mind. The hair was still white, but the length kept charging, going from short, rough, and spiky to long, straight, and silky. More changes were visible to Zelretch's eyes, shifts in facial structure, changes in clothing, and even a wavering height, though he said nothing of this to Archer.

Finally Archer gave up on looking over itself to stare back at the Old Man of the Jewels in silence before asking, "And why do you care if I'm coming apart?"

Zelretch gave an amused chuckle before he responded, his voice light as he said, "Because you're the best entertainment I've seen in decades Archer, and I'd rather not lose someone as fun as you are."

That seemed to do little for Archer's mood, but Zelretch quickly made a placating gesture before continuing, "Your good fun Archer, and you've served Alaya well. So the fact that someone who has worked for the world so hard is about to break apart because of how you function is disappointing."

"Care to explain what you mean there?" Archer growled.

"With any other Heroic Spirit, the information gained in the Holy Grail War would be lost at the end, but because of your status as a Guardian, all of the paths that you've taken across a nigh infinite number of Wars have been forced into a single being, and frankly there's only so much one soul can and should bear. In your case, all of those existences are causing your soul to splinter since you have no vessel to contain you, if nothing is done, you will disappear completely from existence."

A grimace formed across Archer's lips before it responded. "And what are you going to do about that Old Man?"

"Tell me Archer, what is a hero?"

Skepticism was clear in its reply, but the spirit answered anyways saying, "A hero is a person who has accomplished deeds so amazing, so impossible, and so astounding that they have become immortalized in legend, separated from the world in death and recorded in the Throne of Heroes."

"Good, now, do those spirits change?"

"No..."

The Wizard Mashal smiled as his intention became clear to the spirit.

"You intend to make me into a proper Heroic Spirit...but how..." Archer muttered in thought.

"Why by giving you another shot at life, how else?"

Archer's eyes, barely distinguishable as they were, went wide. "And how do you intend to do that?" It asked, the suspicion thick in its voice.

"Well Alaya would most likely get in the way of this and stop it if she could, but I think I've found away around that issue."

"I'm listening."

"Well since Alaya is one of the consciousnesses of the Earth, and protects said world, why not go to another world?"

Suddenly pieces began to fit together in Archer's mind as the entirety of the plan came together. "So you're going to put me in a vessel and let me become a proper Hero, from which I can ascend to the a Throne when I die, thus escaping my fate and surviving...but what's the catch, Zelretch, what do you get out of this whole thing?"

"Why I get to watch you become a hero of course. You may not know it, but watching heroes live is possibly one of the most amazing things imaginable."

Archer went silent for several moments, dragging out the wait as the Guardian ran through possible traps in its mind. Eventually though, "Fine, I accept your offer. You have a vessel waiting for me?"

"Of course I do," Zelretch replied, a touch of mischievousness in both his eyes and voice before they disappeared and his expression became unusually serious.

"I'll warn you now though Archer, it will be a hard and dangerous life that I'm giving you, so be careful, and don't underestimate your foes. You'll have your memories and skills, but I'm afraid I can't manage to keep all of your power."

He locked eyes with Archer for a moment to make sure the message got through before amusement came to the forefront again.

"Now off with you Archer!" He said, and with a sensation like falling in ice water, darkness overtook the Counter Guardian.

**OoOoOoOoO**

**(Archer's POV)**

I had never fallen from space before, if I had though, I suspected it would be a bit like my current situation, only slower. My view was of a series of continents and island chains, bathed in the darkness of the night as scattered clouds passed between myself and the surface, though I was quick to note that the clouds and the surface were drawing closer far faster than I would have liked. Within only a few seconds of falling, I had passed through the clouds, drawing towards a massive, densely forested area, the lights of civilization below drawing closer and closer.

A few seconds more and I could make out what appeared to be my destination, a section of the forest scorched and burning, with wide swaths of destruction cut through it. When I neared the surface, to within a few thousand feet I guessed, my velocity dropped till I was falling like a feather, the ravaged lands below becoming more distinct as I approached.

As I finally made out my destination, I couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation as I made out the source of the devastation. A nine-tailed fox its fur seemingly alight with fire thrashed below me, approaching a location filled with people that were fighting back against the beast. The sight brought back memories of the fight to contain Gaia's beast, only even more futile as I saw what was my true destination, an altar, ringed by candles, upon which rested the small form of a baby, crying out as a woman with red hair finished a design upon its belly.

And then she was dead.

I only just caught a glimpse of what had happened as I was pulled down into the child's form, but I was able to see the woman and a blonde man behind her struggling to stop a massive claw that had been driven through their backs. In flash of understanding I mentally sighed as I thought to myself.

"So I'm an orphan again...You weren't kidding, were you Zelretch?"

**OoOoOoO**

And there's the first chapter. This story will be primarily from Archer's first person point of view, but shifts will occur on occasion. Expect our hero to be jaded, cynical, (perhaps) wise, and very powerful.


	2. Chapter 2

First chapter got some good reviews, favorites, and follows on it, so here I go with the second one.

***Spoiler***

Expect a fair bit of navel-gazing in this chapter from our main character as Archer is slowly coming to terms with the new life he has in Naruto's world. Things aren't so simple as they had been before and with the necessity of becoming a hero to escape his fate, Archer is wondering if he can remain himself and fulfill such a destiny, or does he need to become someone else to achieve that goal? These are the big issues he (or rather she now) will be facing over the coming chapters. There will be conflict and expect the standard team 7 to be set up as per usual.

Also expect to see a lot more of Kurama than the canon story had. Archer isn't a fool and certainly wouldn't ignore such a creature lurking within his body beside his own soul. he'll want know what he can about the Kyuubi and whether or not it will be an enemy, and if it won't then what can they do as allies?

***End***

So without further ado, on with the chapter.

**OoOoOoOoO**

The first things I saw when I opened my eyes was not what I was expecting, that was certain. A very wide and very tall tunnel, hewn roughly from some stone surrounded me, the ceiling some forty feet above and the sides at least thirty feet to either side. Looking straight ahead, the tunnel extended into the darkness, but more concerning was the sudden burst of hot breath I felt upon my back.

Turning on my heel, I was met with a barred metal gate that stretched across the entirety of the tunnel, but more concerning were the enormous set of jaws that were even with my face, high above them were a looming pair of burning red eyes, filled with malice.

"You shouldn't be here."

The creature behind the gate growled, its voice a bass rumble that shook the tunnel and made my teeth vibrate.

That it hadn't tried to attack first was enough for me stifle my surprise and speak back to the creature. It wasn't of the same caliber as Gaia's Beast, but it was close enough that I wouldn't want to try and test myself against it if I could help it.

My self recrimination was interrupted as the creature behind the gate spoke again, it's jaws opening and closing as it formed each word.

"Who are you?" it demanded.

I clenched my jaw in a knee-jerk reaction as I replied, managing to keep my voice steady as I said, "You can call me Archer, who are you?"

A fierce growl came from the other side along with a terse response, the voice lowered now, but still producing a trembling within the tunnel.

"I am Kurama, the Kyuubi. Now, what are you?"

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" I replied with an intended snort as I folded my arms across my chest. Absentmindedly, I noted that the feeling of my arms against each other and against my chest wasn't right...wasn't normal. A brief downward glance confirmed that note, I was smaller, I was sure of that, my entire form was still very hazy and indistinct, but I could at least see that my skin had settled on a dark tan only a hair lighter than my usual skin.

"Do not joke with me human!" the beast roared from the other side of the gate, quickly recapturing my attention.

Setting my jaw in response, I narrowed my eyes as I replied, "I'm not sure honestly. I used to be human, but now I guess...I guess you would say I'm possibilities. I'm a lot of different possibilities put together. I take it you weren't expecting someone like me?"

The beast didn't speak immediately, but its eyes narrowed and I could practically see the gears turning in its head.

"No...someone so...experienced, much less developed is not what should be inhabiting this body, you should be a baby, nothing more." it eventually replied.

"Yeah, well you can blame the wizard for that. So if there's nothing else to discuss, I'll see you later, I've got some growing up to do after all," I replied as I turned away from the creature, all too aware of its gaze on my back as I walked into the darkness of the tunnel.

OoOoOoOoO

Resting upon an altar, surrounded by naught but destruction and death, a small rust-haired baby fell into a dreamless sleep.

**OoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoO**

Ten Years Later.

"Oye, are you even listening to me Jii-san?"

"Yes, yes...Of course I'm listening Naruko," Hiruzen grumbled in reply, not bothering to look up from the paperwork across his desk.

"Then do you mind telling me what it is I asked?" Naruko asked, distinct impatience tinting the words.

Silence met the question before Naruko sighed in frustration and repeated the initial statement, "I asked if you were going to try to stop me from joining the Academy since you put your foot down the last three times.."

There was a pause before the Third Hokage sighed and brought his hands to his face as he looked up at the girl before him, evaluating just how she had grown from the baby he had first seen in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack. Now she was starting to show the first real signs of maturity physically, if not mentally. As in his personal opinion, she was a terrible child to work with, she was jaded, sarcastic, and even verged on cruel sometimes.

Unfortunately, it wasn't something he could blame her for.

Despite his efforts and in spite of her father's last wish, the people of the village saw her as nothing more than a monster for the Kyuubi sealed within her body. What was odd, was that Naruko had never risen to their bait, nor had she seemed to even acknowledge their cold eyes and blatant hatred. Rather she had put down those who tried to pick on her and responded with a sharp tongue when she was made fun of.

It wasn't the personality an eight year old girl should have, of that he was sure.

"So, Jii-san?" she asked again, he tone becoming clearly impatient.

"Fine." he muttered tiredly in defeat, "You can attend, I'll stop getting in the way."

There it was, he had finally caved in and gotten out of the way of her ambitions, and signaling her victory was that customary smirk across her heavily tanned face, beneath her rust colored hair and pale gold eyes, the expression conveying that she was being entertained by some joke that only she knew. The difference from her parents was startling, if he didn't know her blood had been confirmed to be of the Uzumaki clan, he would have sworn there was no connection between her and Kushina and Minato.

Now that the deed was done though, the girl turned on her heel and left, her hands clasped behind her head, resting on her long red hair which had been pulled into a single ponytail in the back.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Ten years...a lot had changed in the decade since I had gotten my new body. I hadn't been sure what I would get with the vessel Zelretch had provided me. Since my first days in this world, I had begun to practice my self-reinforcement, something that had been difficult enough when I had been a Counter-Guardian, but now I was dealing with a still growing body, learning the limits I had to deal with all over again. A few experiments I had managed to perform based on my memories of Rin's tutelage had confirmed a suspicion I had that Avalon was still within me, and additional tests told me that my element and origin were still unchanged.

Those facts were a complete relief to me on very basic levels, as I hadn't fancied trying to make use of proper magecraft when I didn't have a teacher. I was well aware it could cause complications down the road but at least I had a basis from which to learn. Better, though, were the discoveries I had made about my magic circuits. Originally I had had only twenty-seven of them, but this new body of mine had added an additional eighty-seven to that number, bringing me up to an impressive one hundred and fourteen.

I was certain Rin would have been furious if she could seen the gifts I had stumbled into.

My former teacher's opinion was irrelevant at this point in time though, and as such I pushed the thoughts and memories of her from my mind as I walked away from the Hokage's office, summoning Kanshou and Bakuya to me hands and idly spinning them about as I considered my next with the weapons, a member of the ANBU stalked past me, likely on his way to report to the Hokage, or something else.

That was the biggest benefit of this world, hands down. The fact that mystical ninja's existed in this world, and regularly practiced fantastic abilities meant that I could get away with open displays of magecraft. The ability to summon the weapons in the first place was unusual, as had been noted on several occasions by select few ninja who tolerated my presence well enough, but I had passed them off as 'chakra constructs' similar to bushins. That had held up well enough in their inspections and my refusal to teach it to anyone had stalled any further prodding.

Approaching a window at the end of the hall, I let Kanshou and Bakuya shatter as I activated more of my circuits, letting my od flood through my body as I reinforced myself as close to my limit as I dared for now before I clambered into and then straight out the window, dropping towards the ground several stories below. Any chance I had at making it away without dealing with any of the other nin went right out the window with me as a familiar figure stepped out from the doorway below my exit.

"Shit!" was all I had time to mutter before I slammed down atop the person in question.

My reinforced body took the drop without a problem, but I was a little worried about the condition of my makeshift cushion as I quickly rolled off to the side to stand, gently rubbing my butt where I had impacted a bit harder than I would have liked.

"Do you ever consider using the doors like normal people Naruko?" the person asked as they rolled over onto their stomach and sat up, a pointed look directed at me.

"Sometimes, Iruka-san," I admitted half-heartedly, the mistake was an amateur one and something I was actually a bit embarrassed about, as evidenced when my left hand came up to scratch at the back of my head in a nervous movement.

"...You should try so more often, Naruko, it might endear you a little more not to land on people," he replied as I offered a hand and helped pull him back to his feet.

"I would, but then I have to deal with everyone else more often. I find it's more pleasant not to deal with their stares and mutterings though, " I replied with a shrug before I changed the subject.

"I'll being joining your class, by the way, Jii-san finally decided to stop getting in the way. Besides, it was getting boring learning jutsus from watching and what scrolls I could get my hands on."

That seemed to make Iruka pause for a moment as he looked me over, raising an eyebrow in..surprise? Yeah I would say so, before he grinned and shook his head when he replied. "Then I will look forward to seeing how well you do, Naruko."

With that expectation, we parted ways, Iruka off to take care of whatever it was he needed to do, me heading back to the rather run down rooftop apartment I had managed to secure for myself.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Stepping into my apartment a few minutes later, I was greeted by the pleasant scent of the oil I used to keep my blades properly cared for. Given that I had finally gotten Hiruzen to quit blocking my entrance into the Academy, I had decided that a bit of celebration was in order, so instead of the usual instant ramen I was stuck with, I had stopped on the way back to pick up fresh ingredients, and now I was looking forward to a proper, fresh cooked meal made to my standards.

With a pleased sigh as I looked to the kitchen, I set my ingredients down on the counter before heading to the bathroom where I began to wash up in preparation for cooking. Briefly I glanced into the mirror as I washed, taking in note of just how I looked.

Already, even if this body was only ten years old, my skin had darkened significantly from what it had been at birth. The whisker like marks on my cheeks had faded away significantly to just thin pink-white scars, and within my rust colored hair, I could already see the first strands of white beginning to show. Most obvious and unusual were my eyes.

When I had first acquired this body, they had been a brilliant, clear blue, but time and a great deal of practice with my self-reinforcement had seen to it that they had dulled to a flat gray before beginning to shift towards a muted gold. Absently, I considered how I should begin dressing in the future. Would it be right of me to take on the appearance I had borne while in Alaya's service or would it be better for me to take on the form I had born after Ilya had rescued me from myself? Being a woman wasn't something that I had been expected, but i was managing well enough thanks to the knowledge of the routes where I had been saved. Perhaps I would don the clothing I had worn as the eponymous Archer-ko, but that only option made me worry slightly.

Was I really still Emiya Shirou? After hundreds of battles in one time or another, I had a definition of myself as Archer, the Counter-Guardian, but now...now I was Uzumaki Naruko, heiress to two of the most prestigious clans known.

"Am I really still me?" I muttered softly as I looked down at my still dripping hands.

Sighing as I dried my hands, I headed back out to prepare my meal, the doubts I had felt being replaced with anticipation of a good meal.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Two hours later, after I had finished eating, cleaning up, and showering, I threw myself down on my futon to sleep, my eyes closing in preparation to rest. When I next opened my eyes, I found myself before a familiar gate, standing below a looming pair of eyes.

"Yo, Kurama, been a while hasn't it?" I replied with a rueful grin.

The Kyuubi narrowed its eyes in what I guessed was distaste before it spoke, it's voice the usual rumble that shook the tunnel we were in.

"So you're to become a ninja like your parents were before you. Have you understood what that will mean for you?"

I let out a dry chuckle as I folded my arms across my chest and replied, "Well enough, it's just a means to an end though in any case."

"Explain."

"You don't know my Kurama," I replied cooly, "If you did you would understand my reasoning, but in the end all being a ninja will be is a method through which I can become a Hero and escape my Fate."

There was silence from the Kyuubi for several moments as Kurama narrowed his eyes as if inspecting me before speaking again.

"You're more distinct now."

"I noticed that too, I think its because my possibilities have been narrowed a bit and I becoming closer to what I actually am. Something along the lines of 'the mind is a plaything of the body' as they say."

Kurana was quiet for several moments before beginning to turn away as he said, "Then be careful, I would hate to die from your own foolishness."

There was a ridiculous idea, me being careful? The suggestion was enough that I began to laugh as I walked away into the darkness of the tunnel. Kurama had never gotten to observe me fight so I was quite sure he'd be in for a shock when he eventually got a good look at it.

Regardless, I walked into the depths of the tunnel till I couldn't see any more.

When I could see again, dawn had come and with it, my first class as a ninja.


	3. Chapter 3

***Standard disclaimer goes here***

And awesome, I have reviews to respond to! Skip ahead if you don't want to read my responses and just want to get on with the story. Really though, I'm quite surprised with how sharply opinion seems to be divided on having Archerko/Naruko. It seems all of you either live her or hate her, and honestly, I'm not sure why it's only one way or the other.

***Review Responses***

**DPSS:** It's not that I enjoy emasculating Archer, far from it, after all he is the one from whom the term 'GAR' was derived. No, if anything the reason is because I want all of his abilities, personality, and the like, but I just think Archer-ko is soooo much cooler appearance wise. Also you should know that as originally devised, Shirou and by extension Archer WERE female. They were only written as men to make the Sword/Sheath inuendo less obvious.

**Alternate Rogue:** The title may have been misleading, but it was not intentional and as such it has been fixed. I simply didn't know there were different terms for male and female ninjas.

**Paragon of Awesomeness:** I did it because I like Archer-ko more than Archer in terms of appearance, but I wanted Archer's snarky personality and jaded life view.

**Element Overlord:** I actually haven't planned a pairing yet, if you or anyone else want to suggest one, then you're more than welcome to either by PM or review.

***Spoiler***

So here things are going to be pretty much identical to to the canon storyline, though Archer will be playing the deadpan snarker through the chapter as we'll see, and things will go from there.

***End Spoiler***

**OoOoOoOoO**

Guided by the faint but growing light of the new day, I rose from my futon and headed to the bathroom to get prepared for the day. A reasonable breakfast followed once I was dressed and by then the sun was properly above the horizon, even if not very far above.

As various vendors came out to setup their stalls for the day, I walked by with only mild curiosity for what would be for sale later, as personally I had bigger things to be concerned with. Mainly I was concerned with just how I would be able to perform in the Academy as that was my main path into the future and my best chance at becoming a hero. My element and origin were still both sword and as such most all magecraft was still closed off to me, my worry was those facets of myself would interfere with my ability to learn and use the jutsus that ninjas were taught. I had managed to learn a few of them from Iruka-san when he had deigned to teach me some of his techniques, but even with his help the many of the chakra based techniques were still frustratingly difficult.

As I approached the academy entrance a new thought occurred to me. Given that I would be in class with fellow genin, I figured it would be best that I got out my hitai-ate to display my position. Carefully I wrapped the cloth around my neck, letting the metal band rest face out, just above my collar bones. Though I hadn't done the normal classes to earn my position like every other genin, I had managed to earn it by what Iruka had been able to teach me in his spare time and by pushing Hiruzen into letting me go forward with my chosen path. So now I had a chance to join the academy proper and be apart of a team. Normally I didn't do teamwork, but I was all too aware of its necessity in the ninja way of life and as such I had to be curious as to what sort of people I would be paired with.

That thought process was a rather short one as it turned out as I didn't really know any of the other genin, and those that I knew the names of I didn't know much about. So in the end I simply took an early seat at the front of the classroom, leaning back in my seat as I propped my feet up on the deal and clasped my hands behind my head to wait and watch everyone enter.

**OoOoOoOoO**

One of the first people to enter the room after a bit of time was a pink haired girl who was wearing her hitai-ate across her forehead. Instantly I turned my gray-gold eyes on her and began to make my evaluation of her. At the same time, I was aware that she was sizing me up as well. I gave a slight smirk at the wariness I saw creep into her expression which meant she either knew I had Kurama in me or that my appearance was disquieting.

Honestly that last option seemed the most likely. I certainly did stand out with my ember red waist coat and jacket, the heavy black boots, loose black slacks, and the solid black chest plate with silver edging. The colors and the design of clothing weren't something very common in this world from my experience so far, so that probably contributed to the unease. Though a third possibility occurred to me. Perhaps it was because she hadn't seen my in any of their previous classes, much less the genin exam. I decided it didn't matter though as she moved and took a seat in the row behind me.

Several more students entered over the next few minutes, including a tall boy in a heavy jacket with black trim and a puppy sticking out of the neck, there was a blonde girl with most of her hair pulled up into a ponytail. Another was a large boy I recognized as Chouji, having encountered him a few times at a ramen stall I enjoyed. All of the students paused to look me over, seeming to inherently pick up on my scrutiny before they moved onto their seats, with Chouji pausing long enough to give me a brief nod. The last student to enter was a black haired boy who I recognized as Uchia Sasuke, the sole survivor of the massacre of the Uchia clan. That was of a bit of interest to me, including the way he simply met my gaze and walked to another seat in the front row without stopping whereupon he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table before beginning to brood.

A moment later Iruka-san, no Iruka-sensei entered the room, clipboard in hand as he stood at the front of the room, briefly studying the class.

"Good morning everyone," he began, "As you have all now completed your training and graduated to the rank of genin, we will now begin the next stage of your training. As ninjas, you will most often work in four man teams, to prepare for this you will be assigned into groups of three with a jounin as your sensei. If there are no questions I'll begin assigning you to your teams."

There were a few mutters but no forthcoming questions, so with a pleased nod he began to name the teams. For the most part I tuned out the process, though I paid enough attention to match names to faces as the students reacted. When my name finally came up though, I paid more attention.

"Team 7 will consist of the following," Iruka-sensei said, "Uchia Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruko." There were some murmurs in the crowd of students though I hadn't reinforced my ears to pick them out as Iruka gave additional instructions. "Your jounin-sensei will be Kakashi and he has asked for all of you to meet him on the roof."

I gave a nod of acknowledgement to Iruka before I pulled my feet from the desk and stood to head to the roof, Sasuke and Sakura looking a bit startled at me before they got up and followed along behind me.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Coming out onto the roof, I moved towards the railing at the edge, letting Sakura and Sasuke file out behind me. Instantly I noticed the presence of someone who had been waiting atop the exit, turning my head slightly to glance at the watcher out of the corner of my eye. Their ability to hide themselves was good, but it wasn't anything close to the presence concealment an Assassin class servant would have.

"Ummm...where is Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, mild worry coloring her voice beside a dose of confusion.

"Right behind us on the roof of the stairwell," I replied calmly, not feeling like drawing out the situation any longer than necessary.

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to the indicated location where they were met with the sight of a gray haired ninja kneeling atop the stairwell as he watched us, a frown visible in the distortion of his face mask.

"You know you ruined whatever observations I had hoped to get out of this," he hesitated a moment before his visible eye narrowed at me, "Naruko."

I waved a hand in dismissal as I turned to face our teacher with a casual grin as I said, "Well then please pardon me, I just didn't feel like wasting time waiting for them to pick up on you or for you to get bored Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi was quiet for a moment before he shrugged. "I suppose that'll do, for the time being though since I'm out in the open now, we can introduce ourselves. We'll do our names, ages, likes, dislikes, and dreams."

"Then why don't you go first," I said, again putting our to-be teacher on the spot as I nominated him to start the process.

"Hmmm...well okay. My name is Hatake Kakashi...I have no desire to tell you my likes or disllikes. Dreams for he future hm... And I have lots of hobbies." he replied in a bored tone.

"My name is Uchia Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike and I don't really like anything and... I can't really call it a dream...but I have an ambition to ressurect my clan and...to kill a certain man." Sasuke answered darkly.

Grim much? I mused with a smirk, the irony of my statement not lost on me.

"Next."

"My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is... ...well the person I like is... and uhm... my dream for the future...uhm..?" She trailed off for a few moments before abruptly resuming.

"Oh yeah! What I dislike is Naruko."

Really? We've barely even met and you already don't like me?

"My hobby is..."

"That's enough Sakura." Kakashi interrupted before he looked to me.

With a roll of my eyes I introduced myself. "My name is Uzumaki Naruko. I like cooking and swords. I dislike fools and my dream for the future...I will become a Hero who will live on in legend after I die."

For the lack of reaction she had had to Sasuke's plans for the future, Sakura's face was an excellent demonstration of disbelief while Sasuke's face was nothing but suspicious. I couldn't make out anything on Kakashi's face thanks to his head band and mask, but that was fine in my opinion as I waited for his next instructions.

"Good enough. Tomorrow we'll start our duties as ninja."

"And what are we going to do Kakashi-sensei?" I asked dubiously.

"Just the four of us are going to have survival training."

"Why is our first duty a training?" Sakura asked, "We've had enough training at the academy."

"This isn't normal training...this time I'm your opponent." Kakashi replied.

"And...?" I prompted in a drawl, earning looks from my teammates.

"Well...of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen to become genin, the rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent!" He declared.

"But we worked so hard! What was the point of graduating?!" Sakura cried.

"Oh that? Just to select those with a chance to become genin." Kakashi replied dully.

"What?!"

"Anyway, tomorrow you have to show your real skills on the training ground. Bring all the tools you have. Oh...and skip breakfast, you might throw up."

Looking to my Sakura and Sasuke, I noted the grimness of their expressions with a soft, dry chuckle before I decided on what I'd have for breakfast. I'd have enough fights with a full stomach to know how to keep it down.

"The details are on this paper, and don't be late tomorrow."

**OoOoOoOoO**

The next morning I arrived at the training grounds a few minutes before the five o'clock meeting time Kakashi had set for the team. My tardiness was partly due to a touch of laziness on my part as well as a decision to ignore the order not to eat and instead have some breakfast. Personally I wasn't suffering under the early start, as I was usually up by sunrise, but as I approached the designated meeting place I could see on Sakura and Sasuke's faces that they clearly weren't used to being up at such an early hour.

"Morning you two," I greeted warmly, drawing a scowl from Sasuke at my early morning friendliness. Sakura merely gave a yawn in reply so I chose to disregard them for the time being till Kakashi showed, instead taking a seat on one of three large wooden stumps near the edge of the clearing we were meeting in.

At first, minutes past in silence with none of us bothering to speak to each other. Eventually though, the minutes dragged by into first one hour and then a second one. By the end of the third I could hear growls coming from Sakura's and Sasuke's stomachs. So far mine had been thankfully quiet, but that wasn't too surprising given that I had eaten before coming here. Finally though as the hour reached eight o'clock, the sun providing ample lighting by the time Kakashi finally showed up, leaping down from a nearby tree to land in the middle of the clearing only to be met by Sakura's indignant shout.

"You're late!"

Kakashi for his part, ignored Sakura as he made it over to one of the stumps beside me where upon he pulled an alarm clock from his pockets and set it on the stump. Planting his hand on it with a small ring, he looked to us as he said, "It's set for noon."

We then watched as he carefully removed a pair of bells from another pocket of his vest. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take them from me before time's up. Those who don't have a bell by noon...get no lunch."

That statement drew a slight shiver of fear from my compatriots before Kakashi continued speaking. "I'll not only tie you to one of these stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

"Ah...so that's why he said not to have any breakfast..." I mused with a slight grin.

"You only have to get one bell, and as there's only two, one of you will definitely be tied to the stump...and the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be going back to the Academy." He said grimly.

I watched as both Sasuke's and Sakura's faces went stony and I let my grin fall from my face. It seemed things had become a great deal more serious.

"If you want, you can use shurikens and kunais. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill."

The clearing suddenly felt quite stifling at that pronouncement. I was quite confident in my abilities, but given that I was in a tear year old's body, I wasn't too sure of my chances against a highly experienced jounin. Of greater importance though, was the purpose of the trial which I was about ninety percent sure wasn't about actually getting the bells. If the test actually had a sixty-six percent failure rate, then there would only be one bell, not two. That meant that the test was meant to foster cooperation and teamwork in the genin.

As my grin returned, I looked to Sasuke and Sakura as and said, "I'll go first if you two want me to, or we could try working together."

Alas it seemed that Sasuke wasn't too big on either idea as he took that moment to advance in silence on Kakashi, who had pulled out some book to read while he waited.

Sakura held back to watch, as did I, more than a little interested in what the last Uchia, the top student of the Academy would accomplish.

Sasuke started by dropping into a low crouch before he hurled forward a series of shurikens from both hands. Kakashi easily dodged the weapons, only to be met an instant later by a literal barrage of knives from his left that dug deep into his flesh for an instant, then he was gone in a cloud of smoke. In his place a log fell to ground, a dozen or so knives sticking out of the log. Kakashi appeared only a few meters away from a matching cloud of smoke in a ready crouch, spinning as he brought up both arms to block a round house kick from Sasuke who had dashed in to just behind the jounin.

Kakashi caught the blow and took ahold of Sasuke's leg to which the boy respond with a punch, using his held leg as an anchor to spin around. Kakashi caught the punch and shifted to block a blow from Sasuke's other leg before suddenly recoiling and putting distance between himself and Sasuke as the boy made a grab for the bells with his free hand. When the two came to a halt a split second later, I took note with a small smile that Kakashi had put away his book to deal with the top student.

I watched as both of them held still for a moment as they evaluated each other before Sasuke started a series of hand signs for a jutsu while Kakashi's visible eye went wide with surprise. Sasuke leaned back for a second, his cheeks puffing out amusingly with air a second before he suddenly leaned forward, one hand coming up to rest ahead of his mouth as he exhaled a large blast of fire at our teacher. For several seconds, a large chunk of the clearing was enveloped in fire before Sasuke ran out of steam for the jutsu and hesitantly looked around as the flames cleared to reveal no Kakashi anywhere.

The uncertainty on Sasuke's face was plain as day before it became surprise as a hand erupted from the ground to grab his ankle. Just a moment later the top student was buried up to his neck as Kakashi loomed over him, offering a small congratulations for doing as well as he had.

And them it was Sakura's turn. My pink haired teammate advanced on Kakashi and then promptly disappeared in a swirl of leaves that his her from view for a second before scattering to reveal an unconscious Sakura laying on the ground on her back, foaming at the mouth, her eyes wide and dilated with fear.

"Ara ara..." I muttered with a sigh as I hopped off my stump, acknowledging that it was now my turn. "It's just us until they get themselves together Kakashi-sensei, so how about we get to it," I offered, extending both of my hands out to the sides as falchions of black and white appeared in my hands.

"Mmmm...I can agree to that, Naruko. I'll admit I've been rather curious to see what your 'chakra constructs' can do since I heard about them," he replied as he looked to me, his one visible eye locking with my own gray-gold ones.

"Then come and test them for yourself."

And like that, the battle was joined.


End file.
